Man
sentenced for child pornRepair shop finds child porn on broken laptop of Athens resident
Monitor Staff Reports
TYLERA 43-year-old Athens man was sentenced to federal prison for child pornography
violations in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced.
James Clifford Hendrix pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography June 2, and was
sentenced to 97 months in federal prison Nov. 23 by U.S. District Judge Michael H.
Schneider.
According to information presented in court Aug. 15, 2008, Hendrix mailed his laptop
computer to a computer repair business in Florida.
During the repair, employees discovered images of child pornography and notified law
enforcement authorities.
A federal search warrant was obtained and executed at Hendrixs home, during which an
additional computer was located, which also contained child pornography images.
An analysis of the computers revealed approximately 42 videos and 49 photographs of child
pornography. Some of the material depicted children less than 12 years of age engaged in
sadistic or masochistic conduct.
Hendrix was indicted by a federal grand jury Nov. 4, 2009.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat
the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched May, 2006, by the
Department of Justice.
Possession of child porn has been a federal crime since 1990. Since then, prosecutions
have more than doubled in Texas and around the country.
In fact, child porn cases have grown in number faster than nearly any other category of
federal offense. Since October, 2007, more child porn cases were filed in Texas than
federal prosecutions of bank robbery, bank fraud, mail fraud or wire fraud.
In the Nov. 27 issue of the Dallas Morning News, the sad story of another Athens man,
convicted on child pornography charges in 2009, was published.
Another seemingly normal small businessman is caught in shame and guilt by a morbid
attraction to images of the sexual torture of innocents  this man and his wife only
days away from adopting a pair of little girls.
Randy Paroline, 45, told the News he had no idea he would end up in federal court, that he
had never intended to hurt anyone.
In 2000, right around 1,000 Texans were prosecuted on child pornography violations. Among
these were band directors, physicians, instructors, prison guards, restaurant managers,
retirees, pastors and assorted small business entrepreneurs.
Like Paroline, most of those convicted have no prior records, and no history of sex
offenses.
According to a federal public defenders 2009 analysis, the mean federal child porn
sentence has increased by nearly six years to more than 7.5 years in prison, more than
those convicted of sexual assault. Some behavior researchers call this a modern-day
witch hunt.
Paroline said his foray into Internet porn began with peeks at a hated stepfathers
Hustler magazines as a miserable teen. After marrying at 19, Paroline says he bought porn
and dabbled in adult swinger sex. When his marriage ended, he took daily refuge in porn.
Then he met his current wife, who after finding a Hustler in his house, confronted him
about it. Paroline said he promised to give up porn before they married in 1998.
By 2007, Paroline described his porn habit as a way to relieve job stress (building
portable air conditioners), and to fill time when his wife was traveling and he felt
lonesome.
His activity intensified as the couple took in two toddler sisters and began adoption
proceedings.
Paroline said he limited his secret habit by refraining from making any purchases, sharing
or saving images. But, on one of his forays a virus was downloaded to his laptop computer,
and he took it in to be repaired.
Youre probably going to find what Im into, but Im getting better
with it, the computer tech reported him saying.
Police discovered he had viewed 280 child-porn images over a 15-day period and had entered
more than 1,000 search terms for hard-core child porn.
One child porn search turned up 1.6 million results on Google.
Paroline admits to being aroused and sometimes masturbating. He insists his attraction
wasnt pleasure, but revulsion.
You feel better about yourself because youve seen some horrible thing. That
probably sounds pretty bad, he told the News.
The little girls who were nearly theirs were adopted by another family.
During his months in prison, Parolines wife moved their camping trailer to Houston
and commuted to see him each weekend, saying it was easier than waiting alone in their
ranch house, staring at the empty rooms that were to belong to their girls.
Since his story came out, Parolines wife says about 20 of their acquaintances have
approached her or her mother-in-law about their own struggles with pornography.
Since his supervised release, Paroline has resumed counseling; in prison, he got none.
Hes willing to speak to church groups to caution others like himself.
If child-porn consumers do not stop on their own, they are likely targets of Project Safe
Childhood, a program that marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate,
apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to
identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafe
childhood.gov.

Elderly woman attacked on
her doorstepMonitor Staff Reports
GUN BARREL CITYPolice are following up leads after an elderly woman was attacked at
her home in the Tamarack subdivision.
According to a press release, the victim was attempting to unlock her house door when
three white males, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, came around the corner
of her house and grabbed her.
The woman sustained injuries to her hands, fingers, upper brow and scrapes to her knees
and elbows.
Gun Barrel City officer Cody Dickerson responded to the assault call, and had the victim
transported to the Gun Barrel City Emergency Room by ambulance, where she was treated and
released.
Police caution people to be alert to their surroundings and report any suspicious activity
to their police department, or simply call 9-1-1.

Suspect pulls meth from sockLocal drug arrests made
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENSHenderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt reports the arrest of Kimberly Dawn Darden,
44, a resident in the Payne Springs area.
Darden was charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, more than four
grams and less than 200 grams, as well as possession of two ounces of marijuana.
She handed over a large quantity of methamphetamine in two brown paper bags she had
retrieved from her sock upon entering the jail Thanksgiving Day. She is being held without
bond.
According to a press release, around 2 a.m., deputies observed a white Ford F-250 pickup
traveling northbound on County Road 2813, emitting the smell of burning marijuana.
They continued to trail the vehicle at until it pulled into a driveway at 18921 CR 2858.
A traffic stop was initiated. Deputies recovered a small amount of marijuana from the
passenger, identified as Kimberly Darden.
She was also wanted on a felony warrant revoking her probation for possession of a
controlled substance.
In a separate incident Nov. 19, deputies observed two men walking in the Golden Oaks
subdivision carrying several pieces of electronic equipment.
Due to recent thefts in the area, deputies questioned the men and found them to also be in
possession of baggies containing marijuana and methamphetamine.
Tommy Cranford, 34, of Log Cabin and Christopher Hunt, 23, of Gun Barrel City were charged
and arrested  Cranford for possession of a controlled substance and Hunt for
possession of marijuana.
Both were released after posting bonds totaling $13,000.